Ghana is one of the jewels of West Africa, a country with a rich history and a land where the beauty of the natural landscape is matched by the friendliness and hospitality of its people. Once home to the powerful Ashanti Kingdom, the dark side of Ghana's colonial history is displayed in the coastal castles built to protect the interests of the colonisers and for use in the slave trade. Ghana offers some of the best wildlife viewing in West Africa, with Kakum and Mole National Parks offering a wide variety of species but much fewer tourists. Explore in depth highlights of Ghana.
| Tours | Unesco WHS | Guidebooks |
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| groups tours with set departures |
World Heritage Sites | country, regions and cities |
| Time zone: | GMT 0 (Greenwich mean time) | Daylight savings: None |
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| Main languages: | English |
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| Other languages: | Akuapem, Akyem, Asante, Boron, Dagarte, Dagomba, Dangme, Ewe, Fante, Ga |
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| Currency: |
new cedi (GHS) €1 = ¢0.00, $1 = ¢0.00, £1 = ¢5.31 (rates as of Sep 2016) |
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| Internet Domain: | .gh | International Dialling Code: 233 |
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For help planning your trip to Ghana including visas, vaccinations, currency exchange, flights, accomodation and insurance, see our Ghana trip planning page.
Further information on Ghana
Discover more about Ghana - the country's geogrpahy and natural features, an assessment of its status on freedom and rights and data on the country's population and economy.
Geography & Natural Features
Total area: 239,460 sq km (8,520 sq km under water)
Coastline: 539 km (Gulf of Guinea)
Neighbours (border lengths): Burkina Faso (549km), Ivory Coast (668km), Togo (877km)
Climate: Tropical climate. Warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast, hot and humid in southwest and hot and dry in north.
Highest mountain: Mount Afadjato (880m)
Freedom & Rights
Summary status and rankings for Ghana from classifications of different organisations measuring political and economic freedom, democracy and civil rights. See more details of these rankings.
| Index | Status | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Freedom in the World | Free | - |
 | Democracy Index | Flawed democracy | 68/167 |
 | Economic Freedom | Moderately Free | 71/179 |
 | Press Freedom | Satisfactory situation | 22/179 |
 | ILGA LGBT rights | No rights | - |
 | Corruption Perceptions | Medium corruption | 61/174 |
| Overall Ranking: | 69/195 | ||
Other Data & Links
Full name: Republic of Ghana Status: Independent Country
Population: 25,758,108 (rank: 48/196) Density: 107.5 people/sq km (rank: 74/196)
Ethnic groups: Akan 45.3%, Mole-Dagbon 15.2%, Ewe 11.7%, Ga-Dangme 7.3%, Guan 4%, Gurma 3.6%, Grusi 2.6%, Mande-Busanga 1%, other tribes 1.4%, other 7.8% (2000 census)
Religions: Christian 68.8% (Pentecostal/Charismatic 24.1%, Protestant 18.6%, Catholic 15.1%, other 11%), Muslim 15.9%, traditional 8.5%, other 0.7%, none 6.1% (2000 census)
GDP (PPP): $90.41 billion GDP per capita: $3,500 (rank: 144/195)
Information derived from the CIA World Factbook. Other country profiles: BBC News.